Public Health and Environmental Leaders Applaud Gov. Granholm’s Green Chemistry Executive Directive

Amy Winans, LDA of Michigan

Emerging Area Holds Great Promise for Clean Environment and Strong Economy

Michigan public health and environmental leaders applauded a precedent-setting initiative signed October 17, 2006 by Gov. Granholm that will make the state a national leader in the fast-growing field of green chemistry. The Executive Directive promotes safe technologies and innovations aimed at lowering health risks and preventing harmful chemical pollution at the source.

Green Chemistry is the design of chemical products and processes to reduce or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances¹. Simply put, the objective of Green Chemistry is to redesign chemicals and the processes to make them in such a way as to minimize or eliminate their environmental impact². After all, if we don't use or produce hazardous substances, then we don't have to worry about protecting ourselves from them or disposing of them³. Green chemistry is relevant to every imaginable aspect of manufacturing and production from pharmaceuticals to food refining, plastics, automobiles, textiles, furniture, and electronics.

"Green chemistry is a cleaner, safer, and healthier way to make the chemicals and products that we use in our homes and businesses every day," said Tracey Easthope, Environmental Health Director of the Ecology Center. "Designing chemicals up front so they are safe is the wave of the future for industry, and Michigan is now positioning itself to be a research and development center for this work."

Michigan’s Executive Directive calls for state departments and agencies to “seek pollution prevention and sustainable economic development through green chemistry.” It also calls for the Department of Environmental Quality to “establish a Green Chemistry Support Program to promote and coordinate state green chemistry research, development, demonstration, education, and technology transfer activities in Michigan.”

Green Chemistry offers the added benefit of lowering the costs of manufacturing because it minimizes the amount and severity of waste generated⁴. "This is an important step forward for the development of the new economy in Michigan. There is a potentially enormous market in Michigan for biomaterials and fuels in the auto and furniture industries. Green Chemistry is a key strategy needed to move our state into a leadership position for the most innovative and safe technologies," said Bill Stough, CEO of Sustainable Research Group in Grand Rapids.

"When businesses innovate by using green chemical processes, they not only can save money, but they also avoid the costs of cleaning up toxic pollutants, provide for a safer workplace, and deliver safer products to consumers," said Dave Dempsey, noted environmental author and Great Lakes policy advisor to Clean Water Fund.

In addition to the Ecology Center, the Green Chemistry Executive Directive was supported by state environmental and public health leaders, including the Learning Disabilities Association of Michigan, Clean Water Fund, the Michigan Network for Children's Environmental Health (which includes LDA, the Michigan Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and other medical and public health organizations), and national green chemistry leaders.

Research on green chemistry is already underway at Michigan Tech, Michigan State University, and the University of Michigan. Right now, Michigan businesses are testing, using, and producing bio-based materials and green chemistry processes. For example, Interface Fabrics Group, in Kentwood, is using PLA (polylactic acid, or corn-based) fabrics. KTM Industries, in Lansing, is using PLA packaging material, and Pfizer is manufacturing widely-used drugs with green chemistry processes.

Michigan's Executive Directive is the first of its kind in the country. While the field of Green Chemistry is very promising, public and private investment is only beginning, so Michigan has an opportunity to create industry leaders.

To thank Gov. Granholm for signing the Executive Directive:
Visit: www.mnceh.org and click on “Take Action.”

For more information:
To read the Executive Directive, visit: http://michigan.gov/gov/0,1607,7-168-36898-153806--,00.html.
To read about how Green Chemistry is making a difference already, visit http://www.epa.gov/greenchemistry/ or the Green Chemistry Institute website
http://www.chemistry.org/portal/a/c/s/1/acsdisplay.html?DOC=

greenchemistryinstitute%5Cindex.html. 
To learn about the Michigan Network for Children's Environmental Health, visit www.mnceh.org.
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¹ University of Scranton, GREENING ACROSS THE CHEMISTRY CURRICULUM, http://academic.uofs.edu/faculty/CANNM1/intro.html.
² Center for Green Chemistry at Umass Lowell, “Clickable” Principles, http://www.greenchemistry.uml.edu/.
³ University of Scranton, GREENING ACROSS THE CHEMISTRY CURRICULUM, http://academic.uofs.edu/faculty/CANNM1/intro.html.
⁴ Center for Green Chemistry at Umass Lowell, “Clickable” Principles, http://www.greenchemistry.uml.edu/.